


you're pretty cool (yeah, well i think the surface of the moon is too)

by waterforests



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Ghosts, M/M, past moonbae, very slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-07-22 23:12:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20000041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waterforests/pseuds/waterforests
Summary: juyeon is afraid of making a commitment to love right now, even if it's with his best friend.





	you're pretty cool (yeah, well i think the surface of the moon is too)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> hi!! i hope this is still kind of on time ... i thought i submitted it before but i guess it never went through (sorry)
> 
> (edit: it definitely got reposted... yeah as you can see i wasn't really paying good attention here. also i forgot to add any additional tags I AM SO... SORRY)
> 
> dear recipient i'm not sure where most of this fic came from, and i'm not sure if it's exactly what you wanted but i still tried to make it sweet.
> 
> i hope you enjoy it!!

Almost everyone Juyeon knew had a countdown in their phone for graduation. Some of them were clever, and some were blunt, but most people still had them

Juyeon didn’t have anything like that.

It wasn’t like Juyeon wasn’t ready to graduate, but he wasn’t willing to leave some things behind here in Vancouver, especially when he had only just gotten fully attached.

Especially when that thing he was attached to his roommate. Especially when his roommate was Kevin Moon.

He didn’t know how to explain Kevin to anyone, not even his parents or most people he was close to. He couldn’t explain the particulars of his smile or how patient Kevin was when Juyeon got tripped up on weird English metaphors or the way his eyebrows furrowed when he was focused on painting. Not without sounding like he was in love with him.

Well, he was in love with Kevin Moon, but he didn’t want to be.

Not when he was about to have to move back if he didn’t make any of his auditions, to face his parents who had to wonder why he’d gone all the way to Canada just to learn how to dance. Juyeon wouldn’t have had a great answer to that, anyways, except that dance had been his truest love when he’d finished high school.

Dance still was his truest love, really, but something else had snuck up there too.

Well, someone, as much as he didn’t want to admit it.

And because he didn’t have enough stress in his life between his auditions and that newer love, he’d started hearing strange noises in the apartment at the beginning of the semester. Mostly at night, mostly in his room. Juyeon was convinced it was a ghost.

The one time he’d brought it up to Kevin, he’d just laughed at him.

"Juyeon, are you serious? A ghost? You’ve been at the studio too much practicing. There’s nothing there."

Juyeon wasn’t convinced, and it was getting harder and harder to sleep in his apartment between the noise and the other, tangible resident. The tangible resident who he had known through one boyfriend and two girlfriends, but was currently seeing no one at all. It made it even easier for Juyeon to think about it, except that they were about to graduate and Juyeon wasn’t sure if he was ever going to see him again.

* * *

He found ways to avoid his apartment altogether, whether it meant cabs or walking or hitching rides to make things easier and not force Kevin out of using his own car that they used to share.

Jacob Bae had chosen to stay in Vancouver. Juyeon knew him because of Kevin. Because of this, he’d ended up being the guy that Juyeon crashed with the most. It was easier, because Jacob was probably the person who knew Kevin the best, and knew that Juyeon had a crush on him. And he’d been that one boyfriend, although thankfully that wasn’t relevant anymore.

Juyeon felt a little apprehensive ringing the bell to his apartment this time, even if he’d texted him ahead of time to ask if it was okay for him to stay over.

He was ready for the look of disappointment on Jacob’s face when he let him in to his apartment, at least.

"Are you gonna tell him?"

Juyeon tried to act offended. "Hey, maybe I just wanted to see you?"

That made Jacob smile as he took Juyeon’s backpack from him. "Well, I wanted to see you too. Are you willing to cook since you’re forcing me to stay in? I bought groceries yesterday."

"Yeah, sure." He liked cooking, for Jacob or for Kevin or for anyone. It gave him something to do, and in this case helped him not feel like a freeloader.

"You’d make a good boyfriend, Juyeon." Jacob was obviously teasing, but Juyeon still felt his hair stand on end.

"Have you even dated at all while you’ve been in Canada?"

Juyeon paused. He’d hooked up, sure. At parties. With girls he realized eventually that he wasn’t that into.

Jacob took that silence to ask more questions.

"When did you even realize you liked men, anyways?"

"Last year?"

"Before or after Kevin broke up with me?"

"Before?"

"Did you realize it because you were jealous of Kevin seeing me or something?"

Juyeon laughed. "No, it wasn’t because of Kevin, it was some guy in my dance class."

"Who was it?"

Juyeon knew this would sound weird, but it’s not like he could get around naming the guy. "Junyoung Lee."

Jacob laughed. "Someone with my Korean name? That’s funny. Was he cute?"

"Extremely."

"Was he nice to you? Did you ask him out?"

Juyeon couldn’t help but feel shy. "I did, yeah. He said no, though."

"And you think Kevin would say no?"

"Junyoung wasn’t my best friend, Jacob. Or my roommate. He was just some random guy."

Jacob just smiled at him. "Don’t you think it would be easier with someone you actually knew?"

Juyeon just glared. "I should start dinner. Is there anything you wanted me to make in particular?"

"Surprise me."

* * *

A week passed. He’d spent most of it in his apartment, but the ghost was acting up too much and Juyeon thought he was gonna die if he had to see Kevin one more night in a row.

For once, he didn’t try to call ahead, and just ended up ringing the doorbell of UBC’s chapter of Alpha Delta Phi, praying that their chapter president would open the door. Especially since he didn’t want to deal with anyone else when the weather was like this.

When Jaehyun opened the door, he grinned at him. "Still avoiding Kevin, huh man? Aren’t you getting tired of this?"

"Jaehyun, are you really gonna go into this when it’s pouring on me?"

Jaehyun snorted. "Do you wanna stay the night again?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, well you’re lucky there’s nothing going on tonight. I’ll find somewhere for you to sleep so you should go get showered or something, okay?"

"Okay."

"And you’re gonna cook for the house."

"The whole house?" Was this seriously the only thing anyone wanted from him?

"Yeah, you’re way better at it and trust me, they’re easy to please. And I should probably be charging you for staying here too much."

Juyeon barely could barely even get a noise of protest out before Jaehyun cut him off.

"Look, I won’t ask you about Kevin if you just do this for me, okay?"

* * *

Kevin had been working in their apartment lately, and his stuff was everywhere. It felt like he was there even when he wasn’t. He’d tried to deal, as well as he could, but of course neither Jacob or Jaehyun would let him stay the night just as it got to be intolerable.

He was lucky in a different way that night, though. There was a dance department party that night, hosted by Changmin Ji, who was a year under him but managed to be in all of his classes anyways. For the most part, people in the dance department didn’t know anything about Kevin. This was an excuse to get wasted and see some people he didn’t usually. And hopefully not be forced to think about anything, or be expected to cook for someone in exchange for their time.

Changmin spotted him first, grinning from ear to ear.

"Juyeon! I didn’t think you’d show up!"

"Why?"

"Because you’re taking auditions way more seriously than anyone else? Here, have a shot. Oh— one for Hyunjoon too."

Hyunjoon had popped up beside Juyeon out of nowhere. He was on the dance team too, but Juyeon hadn’t seen a lot of him.

"Are you even legal yet?"

Hyunjoon snorted. "To drink? What, do I still look that young or something? I’ve been legal for a while now, chill out." Hyunjoon spent another long moment looking Juyeon over.

"Yeah, you definitely need to chill out."

"Huh?"

"Take my shot, too, Juyeon. We got Sunwoo to DJ tonight so at least the set will be interesting?"

Juyeon couldn’t help but scoff a little. "He thinks Old Town Road is deep."

Hyunjoon laughed. "If he finds the right remix and you’re drunk enough, it’s not like it’ll matter." He looked at Juyeon sharply, and probably a little judgingly.

"Like, you showed up because you wanted to have fun for once, right?"

For once? Juyeon thought he had fun sometimes.

He’d promised himself not to overthink things, though, so he just downed his shot and pushed his way up to see how Sunwoo’s set would be.

* * *

By the time he was home, Juyeon was more drunk than he had been since his freshman year. Which meant, of course, that he opened the door to find Kevin in their living room, poring over one of the projects for his final thesis.

He looked up and smiled. "Hey man."

Juyeon blinked. He had no idea what to say, no idea what to do. Not when he was actually faced with Kevin Moon in the flesh. With his hair all mussed up and his shirt off. While he was this drunk and not just seeing him on the way out the door.

"Sorry, it’s boiling in here and the AC has been weird. Do you wanna…?"

"Huh?"

"You wanna look at it? My project." He smiled and patted the place next to him on the couch. Juyeon could feel his skin itch.

"Sure." He had to admit he was curious, and Kevin’s art had always been interesting to him. Especially watching the way that it had changed as he took it more seriously.

Kevin cleared his throat. "Okay, so… here it is."

It had been there all along really, spread out on the coffee table in their living room. He could feel his head swim a little bit looking at it, he was definitely not really in the right place to understand Kevin’s mind right now. Even though he wanted to.

He ended up looking at Kevin’s chest, instead. Which probably wasn’t as nice as Kevin’s painting if he could actually understand it.

"Is something wrong?"

Juyeon blinked. "No— I should just go pass out. Sorry. It looks cool, though."

Kevin scrunched up his nose a bit as he looked at him. "Alright. See you soon? Are you gonna be staying here again?"

"… Sure."

Kevin smiled at him in that annoying impossibly bright way. "Okay. Good night man."

Juyeon managed to force himself to nod. "Yeah."

* * *

He didn’t get any rest. He knew he wouldn’t, because the ghost would start banging around in the room (or whatever it was, the rat that seemed to only show up in his ceiling, whatever) but he didn’t know that he was going to wake up to a ghostly figure hanging from his ceiling.

"Fuck!"

"Hey, you don’t wanna wake up your roommate, right? You were just out there, I could hear ya."

"Why are you even listening?"

"Because, I’m trying to help you get with him, dumbass."

Juyeon blinked.

"Yeah, I saw the way you were staring at your roommate’s chest back there. It was too much for me, it actually made me sad."

"So you were haunting me because of Kevin?"

"Uh, no. I just got bored so I decided to mess around in your apartment this semester." They rolled their eyes. "But if you actually confess to that guy, I’ll leave you alone."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Look, I’m not usually this nice, but you’re cute, and he’s cute, and you should like, try or something?"

Juyeon scoffed. "I’m busy. So’s he."

"You can be busy and still have time for a boyfriend. I think. Anyways aren’t you like graduating?"

"I don’t know if I’m staying in Vancouver."

"Then stay."

"Let me sleep."

"Okay. But Juyeon Lee, you better stop avoiding this apartment, or I’ll start telling him shit instead."

"Can he even see you?"

They put a finger on their chin. "Good point?"

"Do you even have a name?"

"Uh— Taylor?"

"Like Taylor Swift?"

They rolled their eyes. "Do I look like Taylor Swift?"

"… No."

"Exactly."

"Can you please let me sleep now?"

Taylor shrugged. "Sure. But you have to tell him sometime."

* * *

Kevin wasn’t awake when Juyeon was headed out the door the next morning. This was good, because last night had been way too weird, and he didn’t want to face it right now.

He had other things to think about, like his dance audition. His final performance. Literally anything but Kevin and his abstract painting final and his face, and—

Taylor had just a figment of his drunk imagination. They couldn’t be real, he was just stressed out and plastered. But at least he’d slept, and he could leave, and Kevin would hopefully forget about Juyeon staring glassy eyed at his chest for ten full seconds.

But when he came back that night, worn out and tired, he didn’t see Kevin. But, he did see Taylor sitting on his bed when he walked into his room.

He made a move to just leave again, but Taylor actually got off the bed.

"Wait. Don’t leave."

Juyeon couldn’t help but scoff. "I have shit to do. Places to be."

"Are you gonna tell your cute roommate soon, though?"

"Tell him what?"

"That you think he’s cute."

"I don’t!"

"Sure you don’t." They laughed. "Well, there’s something. I can feel it. I guess he might like you? But he can’t see me, so I think it’s you."

"Me?"

"Something’s keeping me stuck here."

"So you’re saying he doesn’t like me back?"

"No. He totally could. But you won’t ask him. That’s probably it." Taylor smiled to themselves and nodded.

"What?"

"Nothing, it’d be nice for someone to find love, that’s all."

"It’s not worth it. I don’t even know if I’m staying. I’ve said that."

The ghost rolled its eyes.

* * *

Juyeon poured himself into his preparations for his auditions and into his classes. He did end up staying in his apartment most of the time, just because he knew that people were getting more and more stressed by their own end of year issues. And he had stuff to bury himself in, and avoid Kevin with.

Even if he still had to see Taylor, even if he still had to feel Kevin there, he could tell himself that there wasn’t anyone there.

Ms. Kim, one of his dance instructors, noticed, to the point that she pulled him aside one day.

"I’ve heard that you’ve been marking down every single block of extra practice time that you can within reason, Juyeon."

"Uh, maybe? Is that a problem?"

She looked at him. "You’re working too hard. This is because of your audition, right? You don’t have a final because of that, so…"

"If I want to stay in Vancouver, I have to."

"Juyeon. You’re one of the top students in the department. If anyone out of this class will make it, it’s you."

But that wasn’t enough for Juyeon.

* * *

This was good for him, he had to tell himself this. He had to tell himself that this could turn into something.

Jacob was already waiting at Great Dane Coffee when he showed up.

"Wow— you look tired."

No shit.

"Yeah."

"How’s your routine going for your audition?"

"It’s good, it’s good."

"And you called me?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"I missed you?"

"Sure. How’s Kevin?"

Juyeon said nothing.

"You’re sleeping there again, right?"

"Yeah, because everyone’s busy—"

"Juyeon. You shouldn’t couch surf no matter what. It’s bad for you body and as much as I care about you, I can’t keep enabling this behavior from you. Go tell him. Stop sitting on this. You’ll feel better and you’ll be able to focus on that audition instead of how you’re going to outstep him at home."

"… Can I at least come over for dinner?"

Jacob softened, looking at him.

"Of course you can."

* * *

Taylor was waiting for him back at the apartment. Instead of Kevin. Again.

"Wow, you actually came back tonight, I’m proud of you."

"Why?"

"Because you’re so damn avoidant and stupid, Juyeon Lee. I’m just here to push you along, even though you already have so many people doing it. Maybe one of them sent me?"

"How would they do that?"

They shrugged. "Who knows."

"You’re ridiculous."

"Well, I can hear him putting the key in, so you better be ready to act normal."

Just like that, Kevin opened the door to the apartment.

"Juyeon, are you here?"

Juyeon forced himself to head back into the living room to see him.

Kevin smiled. "I wasn’t really expecting you to be back already."

"Yeah, uh, I just need to sleep."

He could feel Taylor rolling his eyes.

"You don’t wanna hang out?"

Juyeon stared at him. "Don’t you have shit to be preparing for, too?"

"I mean yeah, but… we’re best friends, right?"

The question hung in the air, awkwardly, awkwardly.

"Sure."

"Then hang out with me."

* * *

Kevin’s idea of hanging out involved him putting on something on Netflix while he continued to paint.

"You’re not even watching the movie, Kevin."

"Well yeah, but you’re here. It’s nice." He said it kind of absently.

He looked up at Juyeon. "Right? This is nice."

"… Yeah, it is nice."

Kevin just smiled. "Good."

Honestly, Juyeon barely could’ve told you what What A Girl Wants was about, or even why Kevin picked it. But it was nice.

* * *

Juyeon hated feeling like he had to keep focused on something else to ignore his roommate.

Everyone else could tell too, but no one could really tell him to stop, not at this point in the semester, not when everthing was almost done.

Taylor didn’t even say anything to him when he came home bone tired.

He appreciated it.

* * *

He was standing in line for his Ballet BC audition when it happened.

The door opened suddenly— too suddenly for it to be anyone actually looking to try out. Everyone looked over, and someone started to laugh.

"Hey Juyeon, I think this is your guy."

"Who’s—"

Kevin Moon.

"Hey, man." He was smiling at Juyeon, widely, like he had something really exciting to tell him and he wanted to tell it to him right now.

"You know I have an audition right? Can’t you wait until I get home."

"Nah, man, I needed to tell you that I got my project back. You know, my thesis?"

"Okay?"

"Yeah, well, my professor asked me who was in one of the paintings I had to do. And I said it was… my crush?"

"Why are you telling me this right now?"

"Uh. Because I just got out and I wanted to tell you? Because you’re about to audition and I wanted to give you good vibes?"

"By telling me who you have a crush on?"

"Well yeah. Because it’s you."

Juyeon blinked, and someone behind him cheered.

"Hey, Juyeon, you want us to ask him to reschedule you?"

Juyeon was still blinking, and Kevin was still grinning back at him.

"No. I’ll be fine. Kevin, I’ll talk to you later."

"What? Juyeon, come on, when’s the last time I really talked to you."

"I have to audition. It can wait."

* * *

The audition didn’t go badly. It went better than he expected it to, if he was being totally honest. This particular audition for dance had always been a pipe dream— one of those things that could make keep him in Vancouver for longer, that could keep him around his friends longer.

Somehow, knowing what Kevin was gonna tell him made him focus, as little sense as it made in his head that it would work. For most people, wouldn’t that be distracting? Juyeon couldn’t figure out why he was so calm about about it. Especially once he walked back into his apartment.

He could still feel Taylor hanging around, a tiny bit, but it was a lot more obvious to feel Kevin looking at him from the couch.

"Hey, how did it go?"

"Uh… not sure."

"They didn’t just tell you?"

"No, they let you know afterwards… like, tomorrow?"

"Oh."

"You wanted to tell me something, right?"

"Oh— yeah, I didn’t show you the finished project I had."

He gestured to some rolled up papers sitting against the wall.

"You wanna see it?"

"… Sure?"

Kevin just grinned.

"Alright, get a load of this."

Juyeon blinked as he looked at it. "This is…?"

Kevin rolled his eyes. "Look at it a little closer. Who do you see?"

Juyeon kept staring at it, until he finally caught one particular detail—

Something pointy. It seemed like a reach, but— "Me?"

"Yeah, and what did I say earlier?"

"That it was— oh."

"Juyeon, I know you like me. You’re obvious about it, and I know that you don’t wanna ask because you’re afraid that you won’t be able to stay here. But I know you’re gonna ace that audition, I know you’ll be able to, and— I like you too."

Juyeon blinked.

"Uh."

"Juyeon."

"Yeah?"

"You’re gonna be fine. You don’t have to be afraid of graduating. I promise.

* * *

He passed an audition, even if it had taken a little longer. It wasn’t the one where Kevin had run in on him, but it was honestly a better offer.

For once, he was truly excited to go find Kevin back at his apartment.

"I made it."

Kevin smiled. "Yeah, I knew you would."

"So…?"

Kevin just looked at him. "I think you’re the one who needs to ask me out, Juyeon."

"Why?"

Kevin leaned in. "For making me wait."

"Right now?"

"Nah. I wanna kiss you first. Close your eyes."

Juyeon obeyed, and Kevin brushed his finger across Juyeon’s cheek.

"I think you’re pretty cool, Juyeon. I’m glad you’re not leaving."

The kiss itself was feather light, but it was still satisfying in a way that Juyeon couldn’t have expected.

"Ask me out now."

Juyeon opened his eyes to Kevin grinning at him.

"Yeah, uh, Kevin. You wanna go out with me?"

His smile got even wider if that was possible. "Sure."

Juyeon barely even noticed that their secret third tenant had vanished. But he could hardly register that as a loss, when Kevin was right in front of him.

**Author's Note:**

> this was actually supposed to be set in vancouver but it wasn't as detailed as i'd like it to be. hopefully it still kind of made sense but that's why the names are all in western order!!
> 
> this was honestly a whole lot of fun to write because college aus are still somehow my favorite thing ever


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